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Balem Abrasax
Balem Abrasax is the first primary of the House of Abrasax, the son of the deceased matriarch Seraphi Abrasax and the older brother of Kalique and Titus. After learning that his deceased mother has a genetic recurrence who threatens his ownership of Earth, Balem dispatches various assassins to kill her before she can claim her rightful inheritance. Obsessed with profit and determined to protect his holdings, Balem is willing to go to any lengths to eliminate the threat that his mother's recurrence represents. Biography Prior to the film Balem was born to Seraphi Abrasax at least 14,005 years ago, making him thousands of years old. Balem was raised as his mother's primary heir, and she nurtured his obsession with profit and material success. Balem and his mother were very close, and Balem trusted Seraphi intensely. Their relationship soured towards the end of her life, however, and the two of them found themselves arguing frequently. During a particularly vicious fight, Seraphi told Balem that she hated her life and asked him to kill her. He fulfilled his mother's wish, but is tormented by his actions and comes to regret having killed her. As his mother’s primary heir, Balem inherited the lion’s share of her estates, including Earth, and became the head of Abrasax Industries. Balem's privileged position as first primary makes him subject to indirect attacks by his siblings Kalique and Titus, since they seek to reduce Balem's wealth in order to improve their own positions. As soon as he is alerted to the fact that his mother has a recurrence on Earth, Balem dispatches a number of assassins and bounty hunters to the planet to eliminate her and the threat she represents to his authority. Role in the film Balem and his siblings gather on the recently harvested planet Zalintyre, where comments made by Titus about Earth alert Balem to the fact that his siblings are aware that his mother might have a recurrence. This news alarms him, since his agents have yet to trace the recurrence despite their best efforts to find and kill her. After leaving Zalintyre, Balem is shown to travel to his Jupiter Refinery, where he is informed that Seraphi’s recurrence (who is believed to be named Katherine Dunlevy, but is actually Jupiter Jones) has been located; his agents dispatch a group of assassins to kill her. They fail, and Jupiter is rescued by Caine Wise; Balem is sent a recording of Jupiter’s rescue, and appears to be moved and disturbed by Jupiter’s resemblance to his mother. Razo and Ibis, the bounty hunters employed by Balem’s agents, betray him and instead of killing Jupiter they take her to Balem’s sister Kalique. This news angers Balem, and he kills Tskalikin, one of his Sargorn underlings, in retribution. He changes his order before Jupiter is confirmed as Seraphi’s recurrence, ordering his subordinates to bring her to him rather than to kill her on sight. Later, Balem’s agents Chicanery Night and Greeghan are sent to kidnap Jupiter’s family and take them back to the Jupiter Refinery for use as leverage against Jupiter. Mr Night blackmails Jupiter into going to meet Balem on the refinery, where Balem confronts her alone. Balem initially faces away from Jupiter, but becomes increasingly distressed and emotional after turning to face her and being struck anew by her resemblance to Seraphi. He repeats the mantras learned from his mother (“some lives will always matter more than others”), but seems conflicted. Balem presses Jupiter to give up her inheritance rights in exchange for her family’s safety, promising her that she and her family will never see the harvest in their lifetime. While Jupiter comes close to giving in, she ultimately refuses. Enraged, Balem attempts to strangle her. Jupiter knees Balem in the groin and Caine, having destablised the entire refinery by piercing the protective shell surrounding it, bursts in, entering into a battle with Balem’s forces and giving Jupiter a chance to get away. Balem watches Jupiter as she moves her captive and unconscious family members to safety, emerging when he thinks she is vulnerable and swiping at her with a blade, cutting her arm. Jupiter turns her gun on Balem, shooting him in the leg after he taunts her by saying that she won’t be able to pull the trigger. An explosion causes the floor to subside beneath them, and Jupiter and Balem are both sent tumbling through a grav trough. They both manage to get a hold of some railings, and Balem watches as Jupiter flees. After being separated for some time, Balem surprises Jupiter and viciously attacks her with a metal pipe. Balem knocks Jupiter down, drags her across the ground by her ponytail and addresses her as if she is Seraphi, asking if some part of her remembers her death. While he’s distracted by his rant, Jupiter presses a finger into the gunshot wound in Balem’s leg, overpowering him and attacking him with the pipe until he stays down. In a state of extreme distress, Balem confesses the ‘truth’ about his mother’s death – saying that she hated her life and begged him to kill her. Although she has the chance to, Jupiter refuses to kill Balem, saying “I’m not your damn mother” before throwing the pipe aside. Immediately afterwards, the platform that they are standing on collapses and Jupiter and Balem both fall; Balem's fate is unknown, but it is presumed he died in the fall. Appearance When first seen, Balem appears aged; he has a lined face and greying hair. After he bathes in RegeneX, however, he appears youthful with toned muscles and an unlined face. However, his strained and aged voice betrays his true age. He wears black exclusively, and always wears a high metal collar which he only removes in order to bathe. Personality Balem projects an outwardly calm exterior for the most part, speaking in a tightly controlled whisper and taking a commanding role. He is merciless when his subordinates fail him and is remarkably business minded, seemingly being interested in nothing but profit and material gain. Despite this, he has moments of deep instability and remains obsessed with his dead mother; the emergence of his mother's recurrence Jupiter Jones appears to fracture his psyche still further, causing him to act irrationally in pursuit of her destruction. Relationships Seraphi Abrasax Balem's relationship with his mother was complex but crucial, shaping his worldview and determining his fixation with profit. Balem was Seraphi's first child and primary heir, so it can be inferred that he was accorded special status and preference in line with this. According to Titus, Balem inherited Seraphi's head for business. In Balem's view, no one understood him better than his mother; he appears to miss her deeply, and frequently appears emotional when he is discussing her. When Jupiter suggests that Balem killed Seraphi, he is enraged and slaps her; however, he subsequently admits that he did murder Seraphi. Balem relates that Seraphi had come to hate her life and begged him to kill her; Balem is utterly distraught as he reveals this, seemingly caught between deep sadness, resentment and rage over his mother's death. Kalique Abrasax Balem appears to be on cordial terms with Kalique, addressing her respectfully and clearly preferring her over Titus. Titus Abrasax Balem appears to disdain his younger brother, remarking that failure agrees with him upon observing Titus's youthful and attractive appearance. He disapproves of Titus's frivolity, accusing his brother of having squandered his inheritance. Pointedly, Balem declines to say goodbye to Titus upon departing Zalintyre although he does say goodbye to Kalique. Chicanery Night Balem treats Mr Night in a somewhat dismissive manner, clearly perceiving him as an underling. Mr Night has to bear the brunt of Balem's temper while Balem is at the refinery, and is dispatched on various missions concerning Jupiter that presumably fall outside of his usual remit. While Mr Night follows Balem's orders, he does so somewhat resentfully and gradually grows more stressed and irritated by the pressure placed upon him. Jupiter Jones As soon as he becomes aware that his mother has a recurrence, Balem dispatches assassins to kill her. Balem first sees Jupiter after being sent a holographic recording of her rescue from the fertility clinic, and he seems moved by her likeness to his mother, speaking to her image as if Jupiter is Seraphi. Disturbingly, however, he seems oblivious to Jupiter's obvious pain and distress. After learning that Jupiter has been kidnapped by his sister Kalique, Balem changes his order concerning Jupiter; instead of demanding her death, he demands that she is brought to him. When he finally meets Jupiter at his refinery, Balem appears to be torn between loathing her on account of her low birth and feeling affection towards her as his mother's double. Balem attempts to explain his worldview to Jupiter, who finds it repellent and mostly appears to feel pity for him. Balem slaps Jupiter after she provokes him by accusing him of killing his mother, and he becomes progressively more violent and unstable in relation to her after Jupiter refuses to give up her inheritance. After Caine enters the refinery and takes on Balem's forces, the ensuing chaos sees Balem irrevocably conflate Jupiter with his mother; he addresses Jupiter as if she is Seraphi, and asks if she remembers her own murder. Balem persists in attempting to kill Jupiter, seemingly reliving his mother's murder before Jupiter manages to overpower him and get the upper hand. When Balem tells Jupiter that "you begged me to do it", he appears to be seeking some kind of affirmation from Jupiter; he gets none, since she can only tell the truth and remind him that she is not his mother. Category:Characters Category:Entitled Category:Humans